Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess: After the Twilight (Book 1)
by Magical Ink Quill
Summary: "You could take a break every now and then and play with Talo, Beth or Colin... you know he looks up to you... even adores you..." She paused for a second and then continued. "Or you could spend some time with me...", she finished sheepishly. Linked looked at her quizzically. "Why? You adore me too?", he asked and she blushed like a red apple, looking towards the ground...


Chapter 1: Hard Work

The young man was bent over at the waist. His body was covered in a sheen of sweat, the sun glistening off his powerful shirtless shoulders and back. His face, chest, arms and particularly his hands, were covered in dirt. He stood up straight, but slowly and winced, rubbing his lower back. He had been out here all day since this morning. He paused to take a break and put the handle of the pickax against his hard flat belly. He felt the cool breeze blow, the sweat off his body intensifying the coolness and he was thankful to the Gods for it.

He reached into his back pocket and produced the handkerchief Ilia had given him as a present on his 18th birthday. He wiped the sweat from his brow and slicked his spiky hair back, the wetness making it stick. He looked up at the sun trying to shield his eyes and judged he had another two hours before it was eventide. His lips were dry and his throat was parched. He licked his cracked lips tasting the salt on them and breathed hard from the exertion of today.

He heard a familiar voice and saw his long time friend Ilia coming with a glass of sweet ice tea. She had a smile on her face and wearing her apron meaning she had been cooking, but what exactly was still up to debate. She came up to him and handed him the cool glass, the outside of it was perspiring, feeling cool to the touch. He brought it to his scorched lips and took big gulps of it almost chocking, the cold ice cubes clanking against his teeth.

"Be careful now! Take your time Link!", Ilia warned. "Don't choke on it! You look parched..."

Link did not pay her any mind, drinking 3/4 of the glass non stop, but then paused and looked at her. Her short dirty blond hair was done nicely around her ears and her eyes a pleasing bright emerald green. She had an annoyed look on her face, which he knew she would have when he had not listened to her, but then it softened to a smile. He raised the glass to his forehead and let it cool him off. He sighed feeling refreshed. Thank the Goddesses Yeto and Yeta allowed the fresh ice from their realm to be brought and shared among the people of Hyrule through trading caravans. Yummy fish, especially red fish was all that was really required as payment. The ice cold drink was just what he had needed. It felt like he was regaining his strength again. "Thank you kindly Miss." He said with a wink and a smile. "I needed that."

"I know you did. That is why I brought it. You know you do not have to work so hard _all_ the time.", Ilia said in a matter of fact voice. "You can take a break every now and then..."

"Well the goats need tending and milked. The chickens fed and the eggs checked. The horses cared for, cleaned and ridden and the garden needs to be kept up. It does not leave me a lot of time for other things.", Link replied.

"You could take a break every now and then and play with Talo, Beth or Colin... you know he looks up to you... even adores you..." She paused for a second and then continued. "Or you could spend some time with me...", she finished sheepishly.

Linked looked at her quizzically. "Why? You adore me too?", he asked and she blushed like a red apple, looking towards the ground making a circle in the dirt with her small foot. He stepped closer to her and she did not move, but she did not look up either.

He was about to reach out to her, but she interrupted him. "You best finish that drink so you can get back to your work." Link sighed and then smiled as he brought the sweet iced tea to his lips once again and took the last swig of it. He felt fully refreshed and she looked up reaching for the glass as he handed it to her. For a moment she held it in her hand in his and looked into his eyes and he in hers. There was something in those eyes of hers... something that he had seen before, but something never fully realized. She slowly took it from him in both her hands and brought it close to her bosom. "Father asked for you to come over tonight for dinner."

"What's for dinner?", he asked.

"Come over and find out...", she started replying back.

"Your dad wants me to come... or you do?", he asked questioningly with a smile.

She got real quite and blushed again. She was at the age where she had feelings she had never known before and only for him. She turned from him and ran off, not sure how to express herself. Link sighed and shook his head. He himself had problems expressing feelings... but he never ran away from them. Of course he would just pretend not to notice or hear... He chuckled to himself... even though both he and Ilia had grown over the course of the dreaded events that had transpired in Hyrule and these last few months after he came home, leaving his soldiery ways behind him... although he still trained with Rusl... she and him both still had a lot to learn...

He wondered what she was making for dinner, she was not known for cooking... but she sure did try. Sometimes that was all that mattered. He had heard that Mayor Bo's wife, her late mother, was a very good cook. He had no doubt Ilia would one day be too... to a very lucky man some day... He looked back up at the sun and shielded his eyes once more. He shoved his handkerchief back into his pants back pocket and raised the pickax once more over his head, bringing the point back down into the dirt...


End file.
